Soul of a Shinobi
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: One night, a most unexpected visitor pops into the life of young Jodie Holmes. But not just any visitor-he's a ghost from another dimension. A world outside her own, a different reality altogether. Not bound to her by any means but pursued by problems of his own, this strange prankster changes her life in ways she can't even begin to fathom. NarutoxJodie. Humor. Angst. Lust.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Still I return again! Things have been absolutely crazy for me as of the last few months what with the surgeries and all, but now at long last, I feel I can devote my attentions to this fic anew as I've intended to do! Of course, now that they're not cutting me OPEN anymore to work on my heart I've also come up with a quite a few new ideas! I can promise ya'll that the next few chappys are going to be nothing short of absolutely brilliant! So sorry for the wait! There's a bit of a long author's note this time, because there are a few matters I want to address.**

******But I also want to bring something to your attention. I've been putting this off for a while, but this needed to be done. I have PURGED many of my older works. That's right, I've delted or adopted off many of the stories that I will no longer be continuing. Fear not, my most popular fics will remain, but most of my old stuff from back in 2008 and 2009, when I had no idea what I was doing is being all but removed from the site. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say! Still, if anyone is interested in any of my old stuff, say the word and its yours to continue. But I've held ya'll up long enough!**

**Now that we've addressed all those issues, I just wanted to say: Thank you. To all of you who reviewed and have yet to review, and especially those who noticed my improved writing style. You all know who you are. I look forward to hearing more from you as we continue down the strange, convulted path that is this story. I honestly cannot believe I've already gotten so many reviews for the first chapter alone, and now its so damn high I could cry with joy! Hopefully I won't dissapoint you guys! **

**Which brings me to my next point of interest. I'm sick. Really sick of getting flak from people for dedicating time and precious resources to my works, only to be assailed by those who are dissapointed that I'm not going to stick to canon in some of my stories. This is fanfiction, damnit!**

**The latest chapter of Imperfection is a prime example of this and its beginning to grate on my last nerve. So, I...say this. I'm DONE. Just, done. If ya'll don't want to read some of my works then I won't grace you with them. My health is atrocious, and I'm STILL dedicating time to this site, knowing that some like my works. But I'm sick and tirned of all the hate I've been gettingin this last year- which is seriously causing me to wonder whether I should just drop this site altogether and move on. I dunno. Maybe I just don't like it when I've devoted so much time to something and a large group of people dedicate themselves to tearing it down. Who knows?**

** M****aybe I'm just contemplating out loud. But to any writer reading this, you probably understand where I'm coming from. It wears on the soul to not have your work appreciated, doesn't it? I know you can't please them all but this...is ridiculous. Speaking of Souls, I've just finished Beyond Two Souls atm when I thought of a cute little oneshotxcrossover. I searched on the site an it turns out that no one's bothered to do one. None in _English_ at any rate. Lets remedy that, shall we? Spoilers ahead!**

** And with that...**

**...onto the story! =D Fair warning, there's a tiiiiiiny bit of language in this chap...and I apologize for any OOCness. Now...enjoy! And prepare to smile.**

_"Who are you...?_

_~?_

**First Night**

Jodie didn't like this place.

She didn't understand why mummy and daddy had brought her here, why she'd had to leave home. Was it because of Aiden? She didn't understand. She didn't _want _to understand. She wanted to go home, to be back in her bed, to listen as her mummy read her a bedtime storry. Anything was better than this cold, unfeeling room. She wasn't alone-thanks to Aiden-but then again neither did she feel safe. Not from the dark, and not from the monsters, and _certainly _not from her dreams.

Fitfully, her eyes closed in sleep.

Then she felt a chill. It came out of nowhere, turning her beath to ice, and plummeting her room to a chill.

_"Okay, that does it. I am officially, totally lost."_

"Ah!"

Jodie jumped upright in her bed with a shriek-little heart racing as a soft voice plucked at her ear. Her mind still fuzzy from sleep, struggled to remember. It was her First Night at the institution and despite Aiden's very best efforts, both at telling her a story with a flashlight and shapes, she'd had a terrible time of falling asleep. She missed her mummy and her daddy...on second thought, mostly mummy. She didn't like daddy. He said bad words and hit her.

But this one was different.

He...He didn't _look_ like Aiden. No, this looked like a person. Whiskered cheeks and soft blue eyes, spiky yellow hair, all wrapped up in what looked to be a black and orange track-suit. He looked rather silly, she thought, especially consider that she could see right through him, to the wall upon which he was leaning. And then there was the strange metal headband wrapped around his head. Very silly,indeed. There was no tether binding him to anything, either. Not her, not the room, not anything at all.

As she looked on, he waved cheerily, a warm smile, the expresson making him look oddly foxlike.

_"Sorry,"_ it was the voice of a young teenager, faint and distant, that emerged from his mouth. _"Did I wake you?"_

She nodded tentatively.

_"Gomen."_ came the reply.

Whoever this was-he obviously wasn't a monster. Or was he? He certainly didn't look like one. And Aiden hadn't done anything to him yet. Even as she looked on her ever present guardian and friend warbled a question to the stranger. The boy in black and orange laughed softly to himself and shook his head.

_"Not my choice,"_ he sighed, the words echoing once more. _"I did what I needed to do while I was alive; hell, I saved my world. I'm content with that. Don't really know why I'm here."_

"You can understand him?" Jodie blinked, the knot of dread that'd been wound so tight only moments before now slowly loosening its grip.

"Must be a ghost thing." he shrugged.

"W-W-Who're you?" Jodie whispered.

_"A ghost...I guess."_ he laughed softly, staring down at his transparent hand, as though seeing it for the first time. _"Name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! Think I made a wrong turn at the river styx and wound up here. Wherever here is."_ He seemed rather calm for someone who'd just died, all things conisdered._ "Huh."_ the boy craned his neck around, as though searching for someone. _"Guess the rest of Kurama didn't make the trip. Well, most of him, anyway. Damn." _irate, he stomped a foot-

-and across the room, a table_ jumped. _Naruto blinked, intrigue flickering across his visage. _"Well, that's new. Wonder what else I can do?" _His gaze snapped across the hall, eyes narrowing upon the door, with intent. It swung open with a hars bang, causing him to start. Aiden's bemused burble elicited a fierce glare from the blond. _"Hey!"_

Jodie gulped quietly, and not from the demonstration.

"So...you're not a monster?"

_"Nope."_ he chirped. _"Hey, you don't mind if I stick around for a bit, do ya? As I am now, I'm not entirely sure how to get to the afterlife in this sorry state. Besides, I don't understand half of the scientic mumbo jumbo I heard around here already. Hmm."_ A thoughtful expression crossed his whiskered face. _"I wonder if I can take another look...aha!"_ As if to punctuate that very statement, he walked through one of the nearby walls, his body vanishing within its confines like the breath from her lungs.

Jodie blinked, half-expecting him to reappear immediately

When he did not, the corner of her mouth turned down in a slight frown. Was he coming back? Had he simply gone? What happened next dashed those fears to ashes.

_"Yup!"_ Seconds later, his head popped back out, grinning. _"Still boring as ever! Hopefully my prank'll get them to lighten up a bit."_

"Prank...?"

Naruto's grin was decidedly impish.

_"I _may_ have created a small hurricane in the offices, short-circuited a few vending machines, and made a teepee in the halls with all their toilet paper. C-grade stuff, really. Now if I brought my A-game, there'd be more than a few water balloons and paint cans, both of which I unfortunately cannot hold like this..._

She giggled quietly, laughing as he stepped out of the wall and back into her room. But all this excitement was tiring. Even now Jodie could feel her eyes beginning to droop. The anxiety that had so filled her being only a few moments ago was nothing more than a distant memory now. She felt a yawn coming on; a hand rose half-heartedly to scrub at her eyes.

"M'sleepy...

_"Oh yeah,"_ Naruto chuckled sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. _"I woke you up in the first place, didn't I? Why don't you try and go back to bed?"_ At her nervous expression, he hurriedly ammended his early statement. _"Hey, don't worry. I'm not a bad ghost. I'm one of the good guys. Aiden and I will keep an eye out for any monsters, neh?_

"Kay...but can I have a story?" Ghost or not, she wasn't willing to pass up the chance to hear an actual human voice.

_"A story?"_ Naruto almost snorted at her request but then seemed to think better of it. _"Erm...alright."_ Under her hopeful stare, he hesitated. Damn. He'd never been very good at this sort of thing. "_Well, ah...there once was a boy-_

"Did he have a name?"

The blond frowned. _"Why, yes, yes he did. His name was Menma and he was the number one, hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja in his village. Now, Menma was a good boy, but he got into all sorts of trouble..._

What followed was a very _edited _story of his life, all the gory and violent bits removed. He'd chosen Menma instead of his name just to be safe. Looking at Jodie now, he could see it was a wise choice. Her eyes glittered as he regaled her with his exploits-and many of his less than reputable pranks. He'd just made it to the bridge when he realized her eyes were shut. She had fallen asleep.

Naruto sighed, staring down at the little girl in her pink pajamas. She looked so frail and innocent when she was asleep. With a soft, almost fatherly smile, he reached down and touched at her head, stroking a strand of auburn hair out of her eyes. She murmurred softly in her sleep. Satisfied, he returned his attention to the wall. Aiden mumbled an inquiry.

_"Yeah,"_ Naruto nodded. _"Cute lil' bugger, ain't she? You've been looking after her all this time?"_

He wasn't sure how, but the disembodied spirit managed a grunt. Naruto chuckled.

That was when he saw it.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something move in the black. Without thinking, he waved a hand, shattering it - whatever it was, to a thousand pieces before it could make so much as a sound. Blue eyes flashed crimson. He saw more in his peripheals but the stranges entities-if they could be called such-shrank back at the sight of him. For some odd reason, they refused to approach him. A muted hiss fled from the ghost's lips.

_**"Beat it."**_

And they did. The strange denizens of the dark vanished back from whence they'd come. Just like that.

He could feel Aiden's gaze boring into his back.

_"What? Sorry, did you want to handle them?"_

A mute silence followed, leaving him with the distinct sensation that he'd just trod upon a verbal landmine. _"Hey now, I didn't mean to offend."_ Aiden's reply was quite curt. _"Welll hey, how was I to know that they were real?" his gaze drifted back to where he'd last seen the creature. No monsters like that where I come from. This happens often?"_

Another grunt.

_"Well, then. Might have to stick around a little longer than I thought."_

Content, he faded back into the night.

_"Sleep well, Jodie."_

**A/N: And there we go. Naruto's passed on, and he's hanging around as a mischief-making. ghost, his ever-loving and cheerful self. Just a cute little oneshot...or not depending on what ya'll think.**

**So, in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly? Unless you want to deal with an angry Aiden...**

**R&R!=D**


	2. The Party

**A/N: Still I return again! Things have been absolutely crazy for me as of the last few months what with the surgeries and all, but now at long last, I feel I can devote my attentions to this fic anew as I've intended to do! Of course, now that they're not cutting me OPEN anymore to work on my heart I've also come up with a quite a few new ideas! I can promise ya'll that the next few chappys are going to be nothing short of absolutely brilliant! So sorry for the wait! There's a bit of a long author's note this time, because there are a few matters I want to address.**

******But I also want to bring something to your attention. I've been putting this off for a while, but this needed to be done. I have PURGED many of my older works. That's right, I've delted or adopted off many of the stories that I will no longer be continuing. Fear not, my most popular fics will remain, but most of my old stuff from back in 2008 and 2009, when I had no idea what I was doing is being all but removed from the site. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say! Still, if anyone is interested in any of my old stuff, say the word and its yours to continue. But I've held ya'll up long enough!**

**Now that we've addressed all those issues, I just wanted to say: Thank you. To all of you who reviewed and have yet to review, and especially those who noticed my improved writing style. You all know who you are. I look forward to hearing more from you as we continue down the strange, convulted path that is this story. I honestly cannot believe I've already gotten so many reviews for the first chapter alone, and now its so damn high I could cry with joy! Hopefully I won't dissapoint you guys! **

**Which brings me to my next point of interest. I'm sick. Really sick of getting flak from people for dedicating time and precious resources to my works, only to be assailed by those who are dissapointed that I'm not going to stick to canon in some of my stories. This is fanfiction, damnit!**

**The latest chapter of Imperfection is a prime example of this and its beginning to grate on my last nerve. So, I...say this. I'm DONE. Just, done. If ya'll don't want to read some of my works then I won't grace you with them. My health is atrocious, and I'm STILL dedicating time to this site, knowing that some like my works. But I'm sick and tirned of all the hate I've been gettingin this last year- which is seriously causing me to wonder whether I should just drop this site altogether and move on. I dunno. Maybe I just don't like it when I've devoted so much time to something and a large group of people dedicate themselves to tearing it down. Who knows?**

** M****aybe I'm just contemplating out loud. But to any writer reading this, you probably understand where I'm coming from. It wears on the soul to not have your work appreciated, doesn't it? I know you can't please them all but this...is ridiculous. Speaking of Souls, I've just finished Beyond Two Souls atm when I thought of a cute little oneshotxcrossover. I searched on the site an it turns out that no one's bothered to do one. None in _English_ at any rate. Lets remedy that, shall we? Spoilers ahead!**

** And with that...**

**...onto the story! =D Fair warning, there's a tiiiiiiny bit of language in this chap...and I apologize for any OOCness. Now...enjoy! And prepare to smile.**

_"Nobody messes with my girl..._

_~?_

**The Party**

"What did you do?!"

Jodie stared unflinchingly ahead, unblinking as her mother shrieked at her, her little face still wet with tears. Only a few yards away, Phillip lay on the floor. Cold. Daddy was dead. Naruto had killed him. She hadn't told him to stop. She could've stopped him. Used Aiden to make him stop. But she hadn't. Deep down, she'd wanted him to die. She'd never liked daddy-he was always shouting at her and hitting her and _hurting _her. She'd hated that he was taking mummy away from her and leaving, leaving the base, leaving her alone. Then Naruto struck him.

Now daddy was dead.

"You're a demon, Jodie!" Mummy railed at her. "A MONSTER! YOU_-urk!"_

Those words died off with a pained _croak, _as her body jerked into a wall. Gasping she collapsed, clutching at her throat. Jodie could see Naruto towering over her mother, his eyes red and angry. Finally, Jodie found her voice again, realizing what was about to happen.

"Naruto, no!"

_**"You...you people make me sick!"**_ He ignored her desperate cries, instead turning his wrath on her still sobbing mother. **_"How dare you call your own flesh and blood a monster!" _**his voice sounded like a slow moving avalanche, infused with anger and malice and so much _hate _that Jodie actually cringed.

"Security!" Nathan barked!

"Naruto!"

The furious ghost didn't listen to either of them; a savage kick sent her mother's body sailing to join that of her father's. Jodie screamed. Aiden hovered closer to her, a silent sentinel standing in judgement of what was happening. He made no move to help Naruto, but neither did he oppose him.

Instead the little girl was left to watch what happened next, numb as a security team stormed the room, seizing her hysterical mother and ushering her outside. Another grabbed her father's corpse. They came and left in a blur, leaving her alone with the two men. Still, she said nothing.

Nathan stared at his charge in quiet disbelief.

"Jodie, I know you're upset, but why did you use Aiden to-

"It wasn't Aiden."

The man blinked. "What?"

"It was Naruto."

There was a moment of collective silence. Cole and Nathan exchanged a glance.

"Who?"

"Naruto." she repeated quietly, her voice little more than a whisper. "He doesn't like it when I cry." she continued, words dropping into a mere monotone. "Daddy made him angry. So he knocked Daddy down." As if to punctuate that statement, the door slammed shut with a harsh crack. A profound silence fell over the two scientists. Finally, Nathan adjusted his spectacles and seemed to recover a modicum of speech. Torn betweeen scientific fascination, sympathy, and abject horror, he somehow still managed to pose the question on both their minds.

"Jodie...is there anyone else in the room with us?" he asked, crouching down to her level.

She shook her head slowly.

"Just them."

"I see."

"Lets, ah," he swallowed visibly. "Would you like something to eat, then?"

Jodie nodded quietly.

"I'd like that."

* * *

_(Years later...)_

"I don't like this."

Jodie eyed the door with fear and trepidation, regarding the wooden arch as though it might somehow rear back and bite off her head. She was older now she told herself; going to a party with a few kids her age wasn't nearly as terrifying as the prospect of staying on the base. She'd been pestering Nathan about this forever anyway. Weeks now. Fretfully she clutched at her present, a rare book of poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Somehow she doubted Kirsten would like it very much.

But that wasn't the reason she dithered; no, Jodie was hesitating because she was scaredout of her wits. She couldn't bring herself to step forward and ring the doorbell. She'd much rather be back at the institution-on the base were everything was safe and she didn't have this terrible social anxiety looming over head. Back on base she didn't have to worry how she looked-how this horrible dress appeared-didn't need to fret over her makeup or other, girly stuff. Nothing she could do about it now.

Besides, Nathan had already driven away; it wasn't as if she could call him back cuz she'd chickened out at the last second. It was a birthday party for crying out loud! Sure, she didn't know Kirsten, but she worked with her mother...so how bad could this possibly be? She supposed she already knew the answer. Horrible. Terrible. She might run out in tears for all she knew. Her next regret was that a certain _someone, _was missing. She hadn't seen Naruto for the last three days-it was as if he'd simply stopped existing. Had he finally passed on?

Aiden murmurred reassuringly.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I know, I know...I thought he'd be here, too."

_"Of course I'm here!"_

With a start, her gaze flicked to her elbow and searched for the voice. Nothing. Jodie spun, still scanning her surroundings. Then someone tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped. _Naruto!_ Sure enough, there he was in all his spectral splendor. Huh. Did he look more...solid than before?

"You came!" If he wasn't a ghost, Jodie would've hugged him. As it were, her companion merely smiled.

_"Hey, I'm not about you walk into a den of lions by yourself."_

Her stare was telling.

_"What? Teenagers are scary! Especially the pink-haired ones with green eyes. Gotta watch those."_

Jodie huffed, the smallest of smiles plucking at her lips. "I...kinda doubt anybody has pink hair in there."

_"You never know!"_

Naruto and Aiden shared a laugh; or what she assumed was one.

That was the thing about ghosts; they didn't _age._ Naruto still looked exactly as he had on the day they'd first met, a boy somewhere in his late teens. The same, prank-loving ninja, who seemed to delight in making her life a living hell with the consequences of her acitions. Not that she minded. It only sucked when they got caught. Like that time Nathan had seen fit to ground her for a week after _someone_ saw fit to replace their entire food stock with ramen. Naruto had Aiden had been howling about that for a week! Those two, always acting like rambuntious little kids...

_"Weeeell, would you rather I looked like an old man?"_ he offered. His voice was stronger now than it had been a few years ago, laced with just a touch of dry humor. _"I could do that, if you want. All I'd need to do is get a beard, grow a few inches, maybe deepen my voice a bit-_

"What?" she started in abect horror. "No! No, no, no! I like you just the way you are!"

_"Alright, alright, I was just kidding. Anyways, __I gotcha something. Here." _he nudged a small parcel at his foot-one that seemed to have appeared just as suddenly as he. "Anything's better than that musty old book." All of an instant passed between them before Jodie reached down for it.

"What is it?" she frowned down at the dark green wrapping, clumsy as it was. He still wasn't all that skilled when it cam to interacting with the physical world. Who knew what was wrapped within?

_"A thong."_

"NARUTO!"

_"Kidding! Its a diary. Girls like to write in those, don't they?"_

Jodie could've sworn Aiden was smirking. Insufferable faceless bastard.

Having a second ghost with pyschic powers her on occassion wasn't so bad, really. Naruto wasn't bound to her like Aiden was; though he was prone to cause trouble when left to his own devices. He could even possess people now. Back when they'd first met, she could barely see him. Now he wasn't nearly as transparent; though she could still see the street through his back there was a solidity to him that simply hadn't been there a few years ago. And now he was here. That was all the courage she needed.

Gulping, she marched up to the porch and rang the doorbell.

* * *

The party started off well enough.

Mere moments after she rang the doorbell, Kirsten's mother ushered her inside, one foot out the door before she even walked in. No sooner had she departed than Kirsten broke out the beer and dimmed the lights. She graciously chose the music, which was promptly changed, and declined both the offered beer and cigarette. She wandered aimlessly for a time-Naruto and Aiden trailing after her-entirely uncertain of what to do. Finally she took a seat and just watched the other girls dance.

Then came Matt.

"Hi," he began, "Jodie, right? I'm-

Whatever else he might've said ended as his body spasmed violently.

_-cutting in."_ a cheery voice chimed from his mouth.

"Naruto?!" she hissed, recognizing the bright blue eyes right away. "What are you doing?!"

_"Enjoying the party,"_ it was his voice, not Matt's that emerged. _"Oops. Better fix that._ There." When he spoke again, the voice belonged to the brit. "Better?" Jodie wanted to condemn him for so casually claiming a host like this, but she knew nothing she said would change the ghost's mind. Naruto was a willfull wraith; once his mind was set there was almost nothing she could do to change it. She was certain he was just trying to help her feel more comfortable, but this was out of hand, even for him.

"Why are you doing this?!" she whispered.

"Ain't it obvious?" he shrugged, crossing both arms behind his head. "I'm giving you someone to talk to."

"By killing him?" they both knew what happened when the blond possessed someone for too long; after an hour, the body tried to change. To become him. And the host almost always died as a result. Painfully. Millions of tests had been run in an attempt to discover why, but none had succeeded. Maybe it had something to do with his chakra coils. He'd told her about them once, explained how they alllowed him to achieve feats that'd make even the most skilled athelete balk by comparison. But bodies weren't meant to grow the coils from scratch; the body of an average human simply couldn't handle it. Matt was going to die because of this.

"Meh, I won't let him die." Naruto snorted. "He'll just get a little sick, is all."

"That doesn't mean-

His ears perked up as the music slowed.

"Oh, I've got an _idea~!"_

Jodie inadvertantly bristled at that familiar tone, her gaze sweeping away from Kirsten and the others near the dance floor and back toward Naruto, as she heard those words. Uh-oh. He was smiling. Her shoulder brushed him in passing, her thigh nigh but grazing his as he moved to block her relfexive attempt to flee. There was something about the gesture, the closeness of their bodies, borrowed though his was, that sent a warm tingle shooting through her chest and spiraling upwards into her cheeks. He couldn't! He wouldn't!

Ah, but he would!

"No." she jerked back when Naruto tried to guide her off her seat toward the dancers. "Naruto...I can't do it."

"Yes, you can!"

Jodie met the sapphire blue eyes in battle. "I _said_ no!

Naruto cocked his head and smiled playfully. "But I want so badly to hear yes!"

"NO!" She said sternly, raising both her eyebrows to convey her seriousness.

"It'll be fuuuuun," Naruto sing-songed, moving closer.

"No, it will be awful!" her fingrtips curling inward on her dress, reacting to her stress. "Go without me! Dance with someone else, o-or something!" No way. She refused to step into that trap. To dance with the ghost of a long dead warrior, a fellow teenager no less, one for whom she'd actually started to fall-ah, damnit.

"Not happening, Jodie." Naruto grabbed her then, a long arm en-snaring the slender curve of her waist and drawing her close. Despite her objection, Jodie found herself powerless to resist any longer, the last brick of her resolve crumbling as she meekly took his hand in hers. In that instant it was as if his warmth had driven all her anxiety away, any lingering fears and doubts simply ceased to be. There was only the warmth of his hand on hers, too soothing to be anything else, prickling under her skin. It comforted her, reassured her, whispered quiet promises that everything will be alright.

She was looking into the eyes of murderer...and she felt perfectly safe. Naruto had possessed her father, all those years ago. Her cruel, cruel father, so cold and callous and utterly uncaring for her tears. He hadn't even tried to sugarcoat the news that they were leaving. She'd seen it in his eyes. So had Naruto. Then he'd stopped Phillip's heart from beating. A quick and quiet death-one he hadn't deserved. He'd killed him. Yet here she was, trusting the man who'd murdered him? What a strange world...

"Alright...

Demurely, she allowed herself to be led away and onto the dance floor-painfully aware of everyone's stares. Naruto didn't care. He simply drew her close to him, his hands taking up residence on her waist. Jodie felt her cheeks heat up. When she looked at Matt she saw Naruto's face. The dance wasn't complicated, when he moved, Jodie moved, trying not to make a fool of herself. All the while aware of that gentle smirk playing across his lips, as though he had always known how to do it. She secretly suspsected he'd been boning up on social etiquette in preparation for this very moment. Had he planned this whole thing out she wondered? Or was it merely another act of spontanieuty at work? In the end Jodie finally decided it didn't matter; she was happy and she was content, just to be here with him.

"See?" his breath was warm on her face. "Its nice, isn't it?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

"I guess...

Her heart leapt into her throat when he pulled her closer then closer still-their faces nearly touching as they moved seamlessly into the next dance. Their bodies moved together effortlessly, she following his lead and he moving just slowly enough for her to match his movements. Unbidden her eyes flicked up to his and froze-held their by the inteinsity of those burning blue orbs. Would it be so wrong to tell him how it felt? That she had developed these feelings for him? That she l-l-loved...

"Naruto?"

He said nothing, he simply stared back at her as they danced; Jodie cursed her shortness not for the first time. Why did he have to be so tall?! It was downright intimidating!

"I...I wanted to tell you...

"Jodie?"

"Y-Yes?" she blushed; that grin made her heart skip a beat.

_"Stop talking."_

Jodie wasn't sure who kissed whom, only that their lips were suddenly together, her mouth pressing gently against his. Her heart had leapt before, now it was doing tripple backflips! Still his lips held her, refusing to be budged in the slightest. Not that she wanted him to move. She'd much rather they stay just like this. Here. Forever. But all good things must end, and so too did this, the musics trailing away as everyone suddenly took notice of this strange pair kissing their queen.

"You...?"

With a wink, he was gone, leaving Matt behind to reel away and half-stumble toward the bathroom. Jodie felt her face burn a hundred shades of pink as she whirled away. Aiden was decidedly quiet throughout. Was he sulking, she wondered? Naruto was gone again, doubtlessly off to make some more mischief or another. When they asked to see this "Gift"of hers, she declined. Almost immediately afterward Kirsten announced that it was time for cake and presents, and of course the presents came first.

That was when the shit hit the fan.

"What the hell is this crap?" she jolted to her feet, the other present all but forgotten. "You came all the way just to give me this?"

"What, did you steal it from your grandfathers library?" Steven snorted.

"No, its a rare book of poems...

Emma sneered.

"Yeah, because you're so entitled. What's with that dress, anyway?"

Kirsten was equally quick to jump in. "I never wanted to invite you anyway. It was my mom's idea."

"But...

They crowded around her like a pack of hyenas, sensing her weakness.

"No...I...

"We should, you know, do something to her." Jenn said. "What do they do to witches?"

"We BURN them!" Emma laughed.

Jodie screamed as someone pushed a hot cigarette into her arm. Everyone, sans Matt, grabbed her and hauled her off her feet, hoisting her away and toward the stairs. She screamed and cried and bucked, trying with all her might to throw them off but to no avail; they were legion, and she was but one girl; powerless to do anything as they dragged her out of the darkened room and towards the door.

Then all hell broke loose.

The door leading to the porch suddenly flung itself open ahead of them. Revealed was Matt, his eyes shimmering an unholy red. _Naruto._ He'd possessed him again. Something in that soulless stare made her shudder. A ghost didn't have those eyes. Naruto surely didn't.

"What the hell is this?" he snarled; it was a deep, throaty sound.

Kirsten smirked.

"Oh, its just-

Jodie realized too late what he intended to do; because, Kirsten was suddenly on the ground, bleeding from the head. Jenniffer went next, screaming as a knife -the very knife that had been used to cut the cake- sank into her thigh to the hilt. Emma didn't even have time to shriek as his foot snapped out, catapaulting her into and over the couch like a rag doll. The remaining boy-Steven-whirled, goggle-eyed as the possessed blond lowered Jodie to the floor and out of harms way.

"Oh god, I knew you'd come," she whimpered, makeup-tinged tears spilling down her cheeks until they ran clear. Naruto nodded.

...then rounded on Steven with a hiss.

"Matt, what the hell?!"

Naruto said nothing to him, a claw-like hand clamping down around his throat. In the next instant he slammed down into the floor with enough force to shatter his spine and the ground beneath. The foundation yielded with with an audible crack, cratering beneath the impact. Jodie could see what was happening to Matt now-whiskers standing out starkly on his cheeks. Naruto was changing him. Killing him, to use the power he'd once wielded during life. She could see the cracks spreading across his body, angry red trenches revealing the shimmering power beneath. In that instant, Naruto wasn't a ghost. He was a _demon._

And she was powerless to stop him.

Part of her delighted in the chaos. She wanted revenge. She wanted to see them suffer.

In the end she simply stood there as he made Matt stalk to the phone and dialed 911.

"Hello," he began in a deceptively calm voice. His own. "I'd like to report an assault and battery at the address of...

Jodie's world seemed to fade in and out as he spoke, blurring in dark greys. She was in shock, she realized. She finally came back to herself as a pair of hands settled around her shoulders. Naruto. He was still wearing Matt's skin, but she could see it sloughing off; if he didn't release him soon the boy would surely die. And, even if he did, his brain would probably hemhorrage in under twenty minutes. His head jerked toward the door, dropping the shell of his host even as he moved. Matt slumped against the wall, mumbing incoherently.

"Lets go." Naruto mutttered, phasing through the door and stalking out onto the lawn. "I've had enough of this party."

"That was...

Aiden burbbled approvingly, swatting a nearby candle from its perch. Jodie didn't even notice as it caught on a nearby curtain, sending whispers of black smoke shooting upward.

...incredible." she finished.

* * *

_"Hey!"_

Nathan nearly swerved into oncoming traffic and let go of the wheel altogether as a voice popped into his head. Swearing he stomped on the brakes, sending his vehicle screeching to a halt. He didn't panic at the frigid prescence in his head, though he did shiver as the temperature plumetted in his sedan. This was a prescence he had felt several times before and he knew better than to ask what the entity known as Naruto was doing communicating with him out of the blue.

"What is it?"

_"Jodie needs to be picked up."_

"What did you do?"

_"Well," _The spectre sounded surprisingly contrite,_ "I may have broken a few bones. Cracked a few heads. Stabbed a few people."_

"You what?!"

_"Hey, that's nothing compared to what Aiden did! He set the bloody house on fire! And besides, they were hurting her. Couldn't let that stand. None of them are dead..."_

Nathan groaned, raising a hand to massage his now throbbing temples. He could feel a migraine coming. "You attacked a group of _teenagers?_ You're starting to push the boundaries of what I can tolerate here...

The shinobi's reply was equally stern.

_"You owe me."_

There was a silence. "Yes," he consented at last. "I suppose I do."

Unbidden, his mind flashed back to the first time he'd been truly contacted by this enigmatic entity...

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_"They shouldn't go on that trip."_

_Professor Nathan Dawkins jumped as an icy cold voice blasted into his ear. Jumping, he spun in his chair, searching for whomever had spoken. No one was there. He was alone in his office. Just as he had been for the same three hours. It was nearing early morning in winter, the heat cranked up as high as he dared. Tomorrow his family would be making a trip to their mother. But now there was a chill in the air-as if someone had cranked the air conditioning to max. _

_Even as he looked on, the lights flickered. Computers went dim. As if the entire room was on the fritz, posssessed by something or other-oh god._

_"Jodie?" he asked, rising from his desk. "Jodie, is that you?"_

_Silence._

_"Aiden?"_

_His computer flashed a message in green lettering. "No."_

_Nathan started._

_"Who...?"_

**_"Me."_**

_He jumped as a face appeared on his screen. Blonde hair and blue eyes. Whiskered cheeks. Just as Jodie had once drawn. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but all the evidence-including his eyes-pointed to the prescence of a departed soul in his prescence. Naruto. The ghost that had been wreaking havoc on their facility for the past few days. The one who had murdered Philip. Speaking to him, here and now._

_"Tell your wife and daughter to delay their trip, doctor." the boy said. "Their very lives depend on it."_

_"What?" Nathan blinked. "How do you know this?"_

_A smirk. __"I've recently come by some precognitive powers..._

_"How can I trust you?"_

_"You can't. But you will. Or your family will die." Without another word, the screen flicked off and power was restored._

_Nathan hesitated. But if the safety of his family was truly at stake..._

_With trembling fingers, he picked up the phone and dialed in the number. She answered almost immediately._

_"Nathan, what...?_

_"Helen, why don't you take that trip next weekend?"_

_His wife didn't understand his reasoning, but in the end, she agreed. Such a simple little thing, the tiniest of ripples. Nathan didn't know what caused him to trust the spirit. Only that he had. _

_It would change his life in more ways than one._

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

_"Dear god..._

By the time he finally arrived, the fire department and the police had already been called. Jodie stood off to one side, watching as a blond boy was hauled into a police cruiser. She looked oddly...satisfied. Not the same shy little girl whom he'd dropped off only a few hours ago. Something had happened to her. Nathan bolted out of the car, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. The house was on fire. It looked as if a small war had taken place since he'd left.

And Jodie was just _standing_ there.

"Jodie, what...?"

She turned her head a fraction of an inch, her dark eyes reflecting nothing.

"I want to go home." was all she said.

Nathan gulped. "Yes...perhaps that would be for the best." He didn't see the beaming blond only a few steps behind her, didn't notice as the apparition smoothly settled into the seat beside her. He was grinning like the world was coming to an end; because in a sense, it had. Jodie's naivete had died today. No one would be able to hurt her ever again. Naruto smiled proudly at the thought; it warmed his nonexistent bones to know that he had done some good today in the life of his ward...the girl for whom he'd come to care over these years. He chuckled softly as Nathan shifted gears and began to drive away:

_"Nobody messes with my girl."_

**A/N: And there we go. Naruto's passed on, and he's hanging around as a mischief-making. ghost, his ever-loving and cheerful self. No longer a oneshot by popular demand! And as you can see, he doesn't take kindly to Jodie being bullied. Neither does Aiden! I'm trying to follow this chronologically as best I can; the game itself tended to jump around a lot. And since I'm following the canon timeline, I suppose ya'll know what's coming next, hmm?**

**So, in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly? Unless you want to deal with an angry Aiden. And of course, enjoy the preview!**

**(Preview)**

_"Aaaaaah!" Jodie shouted in frustration as she buried her head in her pillow. She couldn't believe this! It wasn't fair! Every other girl her age was going out! Why should she have to stay in?! No! That settled it! One way or another, she was going out tonight. But how? Trashing her room had only earned her a mild rebuke from Cole. But surely there was a way. She had two all-powerful ghosts as her best friends. Surely she could figure something out..._

_She waited in silence for a long moment. "Aiden? Are you there?"_

_A soft burble answered her almost immediately. Then, hoping against hope, she asked for someone else. She knew he was angry with her. He had every right to be, given what had happened recently. But even so, she clung to the desperate ideal that he would never truly leave her. At least she hoped not._

_"Naruto...?"_

_A growl was his reply; he didn't even manifest._

_"I'm not talking to you."_

_"Oh c'mon, don't be angry." she begged. "I didn't mean to insult your favorite food."_

_"You said you liked ramen. But you threw it away! Lies! Treachery!"_

_"And I'm sorry for that," Jodie cut him off before he could build up steam and explode into a full blown rant. "I didn't know Ramen was so important to you."_

_"Ramen is everything! Ramen is all!" A pause. "Well, its a close second to you." __Her cheeks colored prettily at his remark. But the hook was already baited. Now she just needed him to bite._

_"If you help me," she began in a sing-song voice, "I'll buy you as much ramen as you can eat."_

_"I'm a ghost." he remained put out. "I don't eat, remember?"_

_"Then just possess someone."_

_...I bow to your wisdom, great mistress!" __Gotcha!_

_Aiden groaned. Naruto frowned._

_"Hey! It's not my fault, man! I can't help it if I'm a slave to the heavenly goodness that is noodles and broth!"_

_Another grumble._

_"You take that back before I slap that smirk of your not-face!"_

_"Boys!" Jodie sighed. "Breaking out? Remeber?"_

_"Oh. Right."_

_"..."_

_Cackling, __the __blond cracked his nonexistent knuckles._

_"Ohhhhh, sneaking out? I'm going to enjoy this."_

**R&R!=D**


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